UPDATE: THANK YOU! Because of your generous gifts, we were able to get the roofs back on at the Carolyn Belshe Orphanage in Cambine! We raised $8,000 together in order to make this happen. Here are pictures of the restored roofs at the orphanage. Thank you so much for your help to return these homes to these kids!

Dear F4O Friends,

Mozambique was struck by Cyclone Dineo, a major hurricane, on Wednesday, February 19th. Seven people were killed by this storm and 122,000 people were impacted by their homes being totally or partially destroyed.

We heard from our friend Dieudonne Karihano about conditions at the Carolyn Belshe Orphanage in Cambine. Everyone is safe, but most buildings in the village lost their roofs including two dormitories housing children of the orphanage. Dieudonne writes:

“Cambine Update: (18/2/2017) I have visited Cambine today and all the beauty of Cambine are gone. Tears came down as I saw my sons and daughters from the Orphanage. The two dormitories built by New Milford lost their roofs. The dining room and the breadoven also lost the roof.

The secondary and the vocational school and the seminary and secondary school girls dorm lost their roofs. The seminary school, the old chapel and the secondary boys dorms also lost their roofs.

My friends from Brasil and Germany have their home intact. Still no network and electricity. The good news is that no injury and no deaths.”

We are very grateful no one was seriously hurt in Cambine! Now is the time to start rebuilding the Carolyn Belshe Orphanage. When storms of this magnitude hit a developing country the storm itself represents but a small fraction of the impact. The children of Cambine now face the dangers and struggle of living exposed to the elements with no roof. Waterborne illnesses and flooding bring additional risks to our brothers and sisters in Mozambique.